Though often overlooked in a day-to-day operation of a building, fire doors are extremely lifesaving equipment pieces, so it is very important to install them properly and maintained. There are simple and effective considerations to the lookout to ensure that your fire door is entirely compliant and works as intended, and that includes having proper fire door hardware.
All fire doors should be fitted with the right door hardware. For the hardware to be effective, the door has to be capable of closing from any angle it is opening and strong enough to overcome the resistance of any sealing system. Door devices fitted to fire-resisting doors have to perform one of the two functions based on whether a latch is fitted to the door or not. These functions are essential in terms of the capability of the door set to attain its intended fire rating.
Listed below are some of the different door hardware that you need to know.
Door Coordinator Devices
Fire doors are normally required to self-close, based on the building regulations. When doors are used for fire protection purposes, the device attached to each leaf must close the door leaf constantly from any angle to which it’s opened and overcome the latch’s resistance or any seals.
When the pairs of doors have returned meeting edges, it is important that the individual leaves “close” in the right sequence to keep the fire integrity of the door set assembly. In these scenarios, a door coordinator device is needed to ensure that upon opening, the first leaf of the pair of doors is held back from completely closing until the second leaf completely closes back into the frame.
Fire Door Retainers from Auto-Closing Doors
Fire doors can be a weak point in any fire barriers because the main function is to let traffic pass from a room to another. Thus, fire doors must be kept closed when not in use.
To legally keep fire doors open in normal situations, a fire retainer must be installed. Door retainers will release the fire door in case of a fire which allows door closers to shut the fire door to prevent fire to spread. A fire door can also function when a manual button is pressed in case of a power outage.
Single Angle Hinges
Latches and hinges both have a vital role in guaranteeing the door’s integrity. This fire door hardware must be kept completely attached despite the wood charring. Brass and steel hinge is efficient for a 30-minute door, but only steel hinges will succeed for a 60-minute fire door.
Latches and Locks
To provide effective barriers to a widespread fire, the door must be kept closed within its frame. There is a need for the lock to be attached and fitted if the latch doesn’t perform this role. Latches and locks are rim latches, roller latches, bore-in knob sets, and mortice latches. These must be strong, and the nib must connect to the latch plate.
Fire-rated doors need the door, labels and hardware to be attached and be in good condition. Labels must not be painted over. They must not have any damage on the face and edges, which includes sanding the wood’s edge. If the door is attached with the metal label, it cannot be viewed as if the label has been re-attached or removed.